Jody Boston

Jody Boston (she/her) is an award-winning, multi-hyphenate artist. With a foundation as a classically trained, triple threat, she has dedicated the past sixteen years to educating students in Hamilton, Ontario’s primary and secondary schools. She also teaches Improvisation and Clown privately and has facilitated studio classes as a guest artist at McMaster University.

Boston holds a post-graduate certificate in group and short-term psychotherapy and has taught Therapeutic Modalities and Trauma at Mohawk College. She is also a trusted consultant for trauma-informed artistic practice among community artists and arts educators.

As the program director of Under the Willows, Boston recruits and trains a diverse ensemble of multi-disciplinary artists. With her guidance they design and facilitate an annual summer outdoor arts, garden and play program. This initiative provides meaningful, creative programming to children who access treatment for mental health and/or developmental disabilities at Lynwood Charlton Centre.

Jody’s journey to becoming a therapeutic clown involved a decade of honing her clowning skills under the mentorship of celebrated artists from all over the world. As a certified therapeutic clown practitioner, Boston embodies the roles of Dr. Kimmy at Safehaven Project for Community Living, and Ruby at the Sunnybrook Hospital Veterans Centre, serving pediatric and geriatric clients respectively. This work drives her to continually enhance her skills through ongoing professional development in music, dance, mime, improvisation, and clowning.

In her spare time, Jody enjoys performing comedy, belting show tunes while cooking, and drinking too much really good coffee.